Category: SOS

Uyi Akpata became the President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) towards the end of 2021 but his significant years in the corporate world as the Country’s Senior Partner for PwC Nigeria and Regional Senior Partner for PwC West Africa is serving him in good stead in the day-to-day running of the affairs of the federation as he explained in an interesting conversation with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

 

To keen followers, the game of cricket is a gentleman’s sport but to the uninitiated, cricket is an elitist sport with the attendant high cost for equipment and gears which is unbearable for commoners

But President of Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, is keen on demystifying some of the myths surrounding the game, adding cricket which combines brains and brawns at its feverish pitch is even less expensive than some sporting activities.

Akpata, a schoolboy cricketer in those heady days at the Federal Government College, Warri, believes one of the surest ways to revamp the sport was through direct sponsorship of the game from the grassroots especially at school levels so that youngsters can gainfully combine it with their education.

He enthused that the engagement of young players from the grassroots would surely take them to the zenith of the sport in no distance future.

“When I was playing cricket then in school, there were only five schools in Edo State or in the old Bendel State, that were playing cricket as a sport,” Akpata recalled with his boyish smiles this Sunday afternoon on the margin of the unveiling of the newly resurfaced Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval in Lagos. “But now, there are about 25 schools playing cricket in Edo State alone with female teams too and these are public schools with the exemption of one or two.

“Tentatively, what we are trying to do is to give kits and equipment to various schools and because it’s in plastic form, it means more and more school children can be involved in learning how to play the game of cricket.”

Today and across all the six geo-geographical zones of the country, the love for cricket amongst youngsters is bursting at the seams thankfully for the methodological approach being put in place by the NCF under the leadership of the well-adroit  Akpata, a czar of the accounting profession.

“There is what we called ‘the pathway’,” Akpata affirmed, adding, “this offers the coaches the opportunity to identify talents as well as schools who are ready to engage themselves with the game fully and it is through this process that you now identify those who are ready to take part in school competitions.

“From here, you can see the potentials of kids who can play in the U-15 competitions and those who can move to the U-17 level and those who have the potential of playing at the U-19 levels.

“With this arrangement,  we have identified future national team players and we have a list of about 30 young players across the county that we are now monitoring.

“Unfortunately, there is the misconception about cricket; that it’s expensive and elitist but we are gradually breaking those myths and I can categorically say that cricket is not as expensive as some other sporting activities,” Akpata noted.

“First and foremost, I genuinely believed that  you have to live by example and make the best  out of everybody  and get people to work for the common good,” Akpata quipped when pressed  for his management style.“ I can’t be saying ‘I can do all things because I’m the president of the NCF  and that is why we have credible committees in place for the day-to-day running of the federation at different levels.

“One key factor going well for me is the ability to identify qualities of different people and play to the strength of those people. Whether at my office at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) or at the NCF, I tell people there is no one person that is one hundred percent good or bad completely as being a leader you have to be able to identify where there is that ten or twenty percent good that can be used.

“Of course, the goal is not only to utilise that twenty percent good but how do you build him more up to higher percentage to get the best out of him.

“You asked earlier if Edo State can continue to sustain its momentum in cricket in years to come and I said  ‘we can’ because we have people at various levels driving the development of the sport.

“The process of getting people into various committees was strenuous and the same method was applicable at the NCF when we had our last AGM in Abuja.

“It was not  a  case of sitting in my room as the president and just writing down names of my friends, but everybody was involved in the selection  and this is helping  the growth and development of cricket.”

With Akpata, the goal is not only about making cricket good in the eyes of the fans and stakeholders rather it’s about popularising the sport and making it appealing to young people in such a  way that cricket becomes a national passion in the same breath as football or basketball for instance.

“We have our key strategic imperatives and we have five main pillars as it were,” Akpata, an Alumnus of the University of Lagos, affirmed. “Namely, grassroots development by way of reaching out to at least  250,000  youths especially in schools every year; having a High-Performance Centre to improve the quality of our players and officials.

“We have a good governance structure and this includes making sure that our constitution is in line with international standard and of course,  we are high on financial integrity. But the one in the middle of all these is sustained partnership whether with the government or private sponsors or alumni associations and most importantly, with the media. “

Yet the NCF under the leadership of Akpata is not about showmanship and brinkmanship but ensuring impactful development which has seen the federation undertake some catch-them-young competitions within its rank and files from the U-15 to U-17 and U-19 in recent times.

“We want to be the best sport  to reach out to women  in this country and can you imagine reaching out to 0ver 125,000 girls  playing cricket across the country every year,” Akpata   echoed with  his inimitable smiles.“ We want to be at the forefront of pushing this diversity agenda.

“With all modesty, our efforts have started yielding the desired result;  we started the school initiative with the Edo Boys College in Benin about six years ago and today, truancy has reduced drastically according to the school’s principal. And you can see the children around playing and watching others play and that has been one of the gains of the Edo State  Cricket League.

“We also  want to improve on our rankings both in Africa and at global levels.”

Yet while some sports are battling with age cheats, the NCF according to Akpata, have had it all figured out by putting up a clear-cut mechanism at ensuring that there are no double or multiple ages for any of its upstarts.

“Everything we are doing has to be on a sustainable basis; and we can confidently say that if any cricket player tells you that he is 19; he is truly 19,” Akpata, a Fellow of the  Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), further explained. “You can’t just appear from nowhere because right from the outset, our players are tracked right from when they featured at youth competitions and we checked and double-checked right from their schools and when they appear at the PwC U17 tournament.

“Once they are captured with their photos as well as details of their parents and that makes it difficult for any of these young players in cricket to lie about their ages.

“ So you can bring a player who had featured at a U-17  tournament to come to feature in the same tournament six years after even if you change the name of such player. “

A keen sportsman, Akpata who served as golf captain of the prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938 between 2003 and 2004, said one of his priorities as the NCF President was to ensure that cricket enjoys a pride of place in the minds of the Nigerian press and public, adding one of the goals of his presidency is to make cricket such a beautiful bride in order to reduce the number out of school children and create employment opportunities.

This much he further underlined yet again at the recently concluded 3rd   Pricewaterhouse Coopers National Under 17 Cricket Championship held at the  MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

“This event is part of the five-pronged strategic imperatives that the NCF is building its development on, which are; promotion of the game at all levels, upgrading infrastructures, building strategic partnerships, training and retraining of staffs and players and ensuring corporate governance,” Akpata, who doubles as the Chairman of the Edo State Cricket Association, noted. “Our goal is to pull in over 250, 000 kids into the game this year and we have officers in all the 36 states fully equipped to get that going.“This U-17 final is a product of all the work these officers have been doing in the past 12 months. Recruitments and training at each zone were done, where over 784 players qualified to take part in the regional events across the six geo-political zones.”

Equally, the NCF according to  Akpata is desirous of making giant strides on the international level too with maximum exposure of all cadres of the national teams at world-class competitions.

For a start this year, the NCF will in the coming days,  host a six-nation Women T-20  Tournament at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket  Oval in Lagos as Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia battle for honours from March 26 to April 4.

At a time most sports federations are groping in the dark in terms of sponsorship, the NCF  is breaking new grounds, and  Akpata through his PricewaterhouseCoopers is actually putting his money where his mouth is.

“Of course, sponsorship is a big headache but we want to build cricket as a brand that will attract sponsorship with little effort,” he stressed. “Now, we have a strong sponsorship committee and in due course, we are going to get good commitments from some notable companies in the country.

“In fact, we want to marry cricket with entertainment so that more and more people across all the spheres would be attracted to the sport.

“We know how some of the big brands support cricket in other parts of the continent, particularly in South Africa and that is the kind of template we want to follow.

“Of course, we know that we can’t compete with   football  for instance but we want to be  as popular as  any other sport in Nigeria

“We are not panicking at all; but slow and steady, we shall get there,” Akpata in his usual boisterous smiles, enthused.

Returned president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Engr. Musa Kida may be familiar with the art of dealing and landing deals, yet the boardroom and field politicking surrounding his second term quest have left him wondering. Granting his first frankest interview since returning to the saddle, the Maiduguri born administrator wax philosophically when he said, “I could write like five books on my travail since September 2021.”

With the NBBF elections done and dusted and you returning to serve another four-year term, what are your thoughts on moving the domestic league forward?

This may be my first interview since I emerged as the president of NBBF and my focus will be the continuity and building upon what have been achieved in the last four years, and to do better. You are absolutely right that the focus on the domestic league is very fundamental to me. Within the contest of what NBBF can do legally, if there is any good news going into the next four years is that we don’t have any court injunction that is for instance, stopping us from hosting the national league. So, for me, Nigerians are going to see an improved Premier League and you are also going to see an improvement in the next four years of the Division 1 &2 Men. We have started but I think it is underpublicized yet it is the conveyor belt for the Premier League.

Division 2 is played in all the states of the country. They are played at the zonal and also at the national level just like the Division 1, but this time around, we are going to have a modified format  where these teams are going to receive maximum visibility.

Again, the Zenith Women League has been consistent and our thanks go to Zenith Bank, who have over the years-15 plus years now, maintained the sponsorship. I’m still in contact with Zenith Bank and they are in a hurry to sit with us and agree on a format for this year and as a matter of fact for them to also have a little hand in Nigeria going for the World Cup.

All in all, for me it is going to be a lot of activities domestically. And to add, we are looking forward to another domestic league; the lower league for the women, where the new all comers will normally pitch before they come up to the Women Premier League.

It is also my focus that we take basketball actively into the Universities. We plan to have a more visible University basketball where we would be seeing an interfaculty tournament. For example, ABU was supposed to take off this week, but for the strike. So, it’s been postponed. Same for University of Maiduguri where I was honoured some weeks ago. They have also shown intentions to do interfaculty league.

This is all in a way for things to come together so that the NUGA system, just like you have in the United States NTAA, where most of the products of the NTAA are the players you see in the elite stage. We also want to dig down in the secondary and primary schools to have a robust basketball upbringing.

The 2019 constitution of the NBBF generated a lot of arguments between stakeholders before the election, what is the NBBF doing to ensure that this constitution is stronger and stands the test of time?

In terms of governance, this board will use the 2019 NBBF approved constitution. I mean this is the basis of which we were elected and it is the model of running the affairs of NBBF. I also want to immediately say that I am aware of the  clamour from some stakeholders for some provision of the constitution to be improved on. I am also conscious of the fact that the federal ministry wishes for us to add some provisions there so that it fully respects some aspects that are not stipulated very directly in the constitution.

So, again, for me the constitution is a life document and no matter how well you make a constitution, there is room for improvement. My own role as NBBF president is to make sure that we bring in all those relevant and good modifications that we need to add in the constitution as we go along. I’m happy that it has been a case of good interaction concerning the constitution; stakeholders are interested, government is interested in what we are doing, so in as much as i’ve said we help election according to the constitution, there is still room for improvement and my drive is to make sure that we make this document much better. In 20 years we will still be modifying and a typical example is the Nigeria constitution.

Now that you are back in the saddle, what is your attitude going to be towards stakeholders who are on the other side of the board? It is really an easy question. I am the president of the board and theoretically, there is no side. Even the people that did not vote for me, the ones that did not want me, I am still their president. And I’m going to do my job dispassionately. As your president my intention is for us to have a better common understanding and I’m going to institute a creative instrument where we can all express ourselves and genuinely come  together as one big family. But, I can’t do it alone. You have to come and tell me what you want and for anything that is genuine, that makes sense, we will do something about it.

You talked about many laudable plans for basketball, including collegiate basketball, have you considered funds. Where will you find money to do all of them?

That is the biggest problem of sports in the country. It’s sponsorship. And he word is also impregnated with sponsors seeing the benefit of sponsorship. And I think that is one of the serious problems that we have in sports, especially domestically here. So, our model is going to look in the contest of benefit for sponsors. Again, if i take the example of Total for Division 1 and 2, it was an experiment of two years (2019/2020) to see whether this model will have benefit to them in the grassroots. We were able to demonstrate  the huge benefits, first of all the satisfaction that they are helping the country, then, the visibility of the company at corners and crannies of the country to the extent that they then renew the sponsorship deal for another five years. This is also for the Zenith League that has been there for 15 years.

That is the kind of model that we want to use even for University basketball. There are lots of alumni ready to do something. We are going to approach them and make them push their interest in basketball. ABU and University of Maiduguri is benefitting from this model.

Let’s talk about the government and sports. What is your notion about how government and sports should work in Africa?

It’s always a difficult question. It’s either one before the other or the other before one. Sports need to be treated like business in order for it to be sustainable. You can see the gigantic efforts  the honourable minister of youths and sports development  Sunday Dare is doing, to classify sports as a form of excellent entertainment as it is in developed countries and i think he also enshrined it in the national sports policy where the entertainment value of sports must be captured to maximally translate to business. As we as sports administrators must lash on to that to show that sports can be of the same importance as the present entertainment industry that we have in order to make it sustainable by generating self support and have a great value. If you do that then it becomes wholesome.

In so far as we look at sport as a grant or one off sponsorship, it can never call it a business. It has to be able to generate sustainability in terms of money, visibility, and governance by itself. And I think Nigeria is waking up to that realization.

For us in basketball it is a model that we intend to follow vigorously because we think it is the way of sustainability.

The last three months has been turbulent for basketball and you have been the focal point. How has this made you feel as a person?

I could write like five books on my travail from September 2021. When you say central focal point i agree, but i tell you that it is not as central as people think. The power really lies with the NBBF Congress. This Congress is composed of the state basketball chairmen and statutory delegates that we have. Those are the people that are very consistent saying they wanted things within the ambit of the constitution of NBBF to be respected and of course, i’m still their leader in a way. I listened to them and put forward what they wanted because that is what leadership is really all about. It is not about imposition of one but listening to them and talking about the best way to go.

We have had the election and we are moving on to do what the Congress wanted and as a board it is for us to deliver on that expectation. The last three months were hectic and I was learning some things given that I am not in the public sector. I am from the private sector. Some notions that I never knew existed, thoughts that were completely strange to me, I had to take everything in its stride and put them in what I will call common sense or good value to them. It is a very enriching experience. It still goes on, by the way, it is not finish, we have actually just started the second leg of the journey but again, I’m using this opportunity to tell all stakeholders that we need to come together as a family; everybody must do his best or try to do his best, even if he cannot do his best, so that all of us can form a bigger whole instead of doing it as individual.

The Nigeria Women Basketball just qualified for the World Cup and they have been impressive at the Afrobasket tournament winning yet again. What’s magic ?

The game of basketball has it concerns men and women. You can see there is a huge debate even on the bigger stage. For example there is clamour for NBA and WNBA players to be  paid the same and all that. So, there is a difference in how the men and women team are conditioned when it comes to international tournaments. For the women national team hitherto 2017,basically two or three weeks after we took over, we went to Mali and won the Afro Basketball. I would claim the cup but I cannot claim the talent because for them to have won it means that before then, they have exhibited their talent and compe tence. What our board tried to do was to make sure that we maintain the talent level and conveyor belt. There are quite a few of them that played four years ago but are no longer there, but it appears to be seamless in terms of the high level of performance that they exhibit. Another thing that we try to take care of is the environmental factor so that they can focus on playing basketball.

I’m very mindful of the distraction we also had from them at the end of October last year when they won in Cameroon. I’m also conscious of the fact that players have the free will to express as they want but as an administrator I have to shake it off as I know that a lot of what was banditand said in that video was not fair to the basketball polity. I did think it was not called for.

If I did not speak publicly about it is not because I don’t feel the pain, but because I do not like to discuss issues with anyone.

The truth is that the details were not well investigated before those pronouncements were made. Asking President Muhammadu Buhari to host them with a threat that they won’t go for the World Cup qualifier was a long shot. There are ways we can do that. The quest to be recognised is not bad but the manner in putting it cannot be a treat. Saying that some monies were not paid by the ministry and even threatening the ministry was uncalled for. There are better ways of doing things.

The other one which has to do with NBBF was also a misinformed statement. I say this because it is not true. Typically, when they went to Madagascar for the qualifier I said each of them was owed 350 dollars as allowance and as at that time up till now we have not been completely paid for all the monies we have spent for the last four years. And I would, but they must not forget everything that has happened before then and that the federation ensured that we provided for everything for the training before the tournaments they participated in. All were done to their full satisfaction so that they could perform. Anytime they perform well I as the president would promise them a bonus, which is coming from me. Bonuses are different from the match allowances, which are normally paid from external resources before they are refunded. So, I felt a bit sad. This is something I did out of goodwill. I am human too and it isn’t nice to hear that. Most especially, I could have kept quiet but I try to motivate them. I guess that is life and it left a very good scar on me. I felt I was being paid back in a way that was not nice at all.

I was unhappy and anytime I think about it I ask myself what really have I done to deserve this and I still can’t find it.

Away from basketball, what makes the man Kida tick?

What has always made me tick even since I was a kid? My old boy has always beaten it into me that I had to take care of others-my family. And when I say family we are not talking about a family of four or five but a large family of brothers and sisters of about 29. Of which I’m the eldest.

So, what makes me tick is that I have to be a brother, confidant and father in such a way that all of them can come to me and express their thoughts to me and solve their problems.

And you can imagine them having their own family, which comes under the umbrella of my own family. Really it’s a whole clan now. That is my calling.

My father ingrained that into me that if there is a shame that I would experience it is not being able to take care of my extended family as the first born.

It makes me take a very high ground of leadership and try to understand how we should not find ourselves in the same situation the next time. What makes me tick is the consideration for all. Somebody told me that I’m highly protective of everybody, including my enemies. I think we should all have a large heart.

Who among your children will be stepping into your basketball canvass?

Now, you want to break my heart. They prefer football. But if you ask them my biggest son would say he’s able to dunk, even if he does it in his dream. It is okay. I’m trying hard not to shift them on their tracks. They are quite good at football and I’ve been to one or two of their school games.

One of the main reasons why I did not go all the way in professional football is that I had a degree in engineering and my father felt I would not cope. I don’t regret taking that path but I want to say that things have changed and if my children want to go all the way and if they have the talent to be professional sportsmen, I would let them go. However, there is no brute, no force without wisdom. You can’t survive in this present world if you don’t understand things. Education is important.

You played alongside Akeem Olajuwon in the national team. Can you recollect the moments?

It was a different era. In those days you could just hear somebody’s name and you say he’s a monster. Then you have to be twice as good in order to be seen as more visible than the rest.

Playing with Akeem was one of the most memorable times I can remember. There was a tournament we attended in Angola in the 80s and ‘Akeeme’ that is what I used to call him, with Akin Otiko and a flurry of others and he would always stand out. Akeem’s fade away shot is also evident. He developed his famous move ‘the dream shake.’ That was a good way to shake off some of us who could jump very high. Once he fakes and you jump, you can’t jump five times, he changes direction and dunk.

The last time we met was in 2015 in New York and we had some good memories to talk about.

What kind of books do you read?

I’m a voracious reader. There is no book that is taboo to me. But, most books I read are motivational, inspirational and leadership oriented.

But, it’s more to be able to impact the unsuspecting mentees all over the place. I also try to improve myself. That is apart from washing basketball on ESPN sometimes.

I read more now that I’m retired. I have divided the day into two. I keep away from my phones and emails before 12 noon. Deliberately I don’t do anything before that time and because of that I read more and do things that give me pleasure such as youth empowerment and capacity building and generally thinking about strategies.

Given what transpired before and during the elections and the role of the sports ministry, what is your relationship now with the Sport Minister Sunday Dare?

It is not a difficult question at all. I do think there are people who have tried to push narratives that are not true to the public, to the ministry and members of the board. I have continuously tried to update without being spectacular in updating the notions that are right and those that are not founded. My relationship with the ministry has always been that of respect. In the last three months you have not seen me or hear me insulting anybody from the ministry. You would have seen me being protective of basketball as a patriot and as a Nigerian. For me, the position of the minister is sacred and I would not throw any spike at that office. Instead I would talk about the kind of help and support he has given us. I don’t also speak against the government because all of us are part of this government and it is up to us to correct it in the best way we can and the best way to do this is to relate with them. All I have done is to work for the good of basketball.

After Wilfried Zaha’s stunning strike against Norwich City was named the Premier League goal of the Month for February on Friday, the Crystal Palace forward he’s happy to be rewarded for his hard work. He said: “I’m working hard and it’s showing.” Cote d’Ivoire forward’s excellent form – which also saw him nominated for Player of the Month – was capped by a sumptuous goal at Carrow Road.

Receiving the ball on the left from Michael Olise, Zaha cut inside and unleashed a thundering effort into the top corner, leaving Angus Gunn in goal with no chance.

The strike earned the club’s Goal of the Month award earlier this week.

“I’m just happy I’m scoring goals, and getting the recognition for it is the best thing ever,” said Zaha on receiving the award. “I just like to work on myself, and at the same time when I work on myself, I tend to prove people wrong.

“I was labeled as someone who has no end product. From no end product to 56 Premier League goals – I’m just happy that my hard work is paying off. I’m happy to be receiving the award.”

Zaha has been in great form scoring the winner in the 2-0 win against Wolves last week. The second-half in particular was a battle but he and his teammates did well to secure the points.

The winger scored Palace’s second with a well-taken penalty won by Jeffrey Schlupp and troubled his hosts for over 90 minutes.

Speaking after the game, he explained what Palace got right at Molineux: “We knew we had to have a fast start. I’m happy we managed to take the lead and kick on from there. It was a difficult game.

“It was mainly the team performance. In the second half they put on pressure and pressure and we had not to cave in. I think the fact we worked so hard together managed to get us the three points today.”

Then asked how he felt he and Michael Olise performed, with the pair enjoying space on their respective wings, Zaha outlined why Jeffrey Schlupp aided them, and how Palace are an attacking threat across the team.

“The main thing is Jeff’s movement on the inside,” he said. “So once where he moves I do the opposite and it gives me a bit of space. It worked today.

“You’re seeing what Michael’s doing on the far side so it’s nice we have so many different options and so many different players that can impact the game. It’s an enjoyable team to be a part of. “We just have to keep our heads down and take every game as it comes, because there’s no easy game in the Prem. I literally feel like I ran the whole half and didn’t touch the ball! So it’s hard work but we need to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Palace gaffer Patrick Vieira said of the Norwich goal: “That was obviously a fantastic goal, a wonderful goal. This is Wilfried Zaha at his best. This is what we need, what we want from him.

“We know he’s capable of delivering for the team and we want him to do it more often. He has the personality and ability to do it. We want him to do it more often with the support of the players around him.

“He has to score more because of his ability to do so. He’s a player I believe with his ability can create more and score more. It will not be him by himself; he needs the team around, the performance, and the chances created to put him in a situation to express his talent.

“When I talk about him doing more it’s not about him as an individual – it’s about using the players around him, the way we play, the chances we create.”

“He’s under contract, so that means he is happy to wear the shirt and perform well around the team,” Vieira said. “What is good for him is to have players around him taking responsibility and that’s taken off some of the pressure on his shoulders.

“We have players who can score, players who can deliver and the positive is we’re having a team performance. That allows him to express himself and that’s good for him and the team.

“I think people always remember the last penalty. But when you look at his record on penalties it’s been really good, so there’s no reason we should change,” added Vieira.

Before Super Eagles technical head Austin Eguavoen visited Nigerian eligible Michael Olise last week at Crystal Palace, U.K, the England born with Nigerian father, had made noticeable impact in the Premiership club he joined last year.  He won Palace’s Player of the Month award after four sensational performances in January. The summer signing featured in all of Palace’s games last month, playing 291 minutes and scoring twice. He scored in the 90th-minute against West Ham United and then against Millwall during a second-half display that relentlessly tested the Lions’ backline. He also bagged assists in both games. Olise’s efforts saw him named Man of the Match against Millwall and Liverpool, and he scooped the Player of the Month accolade with an impressive 69.6% of votes. Conor Gallagher and Odsonne Edouard came second and third, with 6.4% and 4.3% respectively. Sharing a message for fans, Olise said with a smile: “I just want to thank the fans for voting for me – I appreciate it”.

The FA Cup is quickly becoming Michael Olise’s favourite competition as the youngster was once again Palace’s best player as they advanced through to the next round.

Against Millwall, Olise first curled the Eagles’ opener into the corner of the net from inside the box before setting up Jean-Philippe Mateta to score the winner moments later with a similarly pinpoint ball.

This time around, against Hartlepool, he was once again involved in all of Palace’s best passages of play.

It was his free-kick with his left foot that curled into the box and found Marc Guehi unmarked ready to prod home the opener, and every time he got the ball thereafter he looked to make things happen. His goal came about via good fortune as Hartlepool lost possession in their own half, but his instinctive flick to get past Timi Odusina and decisive finish into Ben Killip’s bottom corner was emphatic. Once again Vieira praised the winger effusively after the game, calling him a “special player”, but added there was still a lot he could learn after wasting a handful of chances on goal during the second half.

“The more games he will play will help him to improve,” Vieira told reporters at full-time. “There are some tactical elements in the game he needs to understand. The decisions he makes defensively and offensively will make him a better player.

“We want him to be decisive in the last 30 yards and he has the quality to do that. He was really dangerous today and could’ve scored more today and made better decisions. That will come with more experience and playing more games.”

Bigger picture

This is the roller-coaster form the 20 year old has found lately that is attracting his father’s land- Nigeria and other big clubs in Europe.

Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs keeping tabs on Olise, who may leave Selhurst Park in the summer.

According to a report from The Sun, Crystal Palace are set to face a major battle in their bid to keep hold of the skilful player. The young attacker has emerged as one of the most in-demand talents in the Premier League, with a bunch of top clubs across Europe interested in securing his services in the summer transfer window.

Arsenal and Chelsea are among the Premier League clubs monitoring the progress of Olise, who joined Crystal Palace in a €9.3 million deal from Reading last summer. Olise’s tally of two goals and four assists in 18 league matches might not be particularly eye-catching. However, the youngster has made a solid impression with his technical skill and chance creation, making him a crucial asset for the team. He was notably the star performer in the FA Cup wins over Millwall and Hartlepool and is expected to play a vital role in the club’s quest to finish in the top half of the table.

Olise’s performances have not gone unnoticed, with Arsenal, for one, mulling over a summer swoop for the French youth international. Currently vying for a top-four finish in the league, the Gunners are expecting a busy summer ahead, with Mikel Arteta keen on binning some of the unwanted players in the team, including Nicolas Pepe and Eddie Nketiah.

It could open up an opportunity for the club to make a move for the Crystal Palace starlet, whose ability to play at right midfield or even as a number eight could make him a useful outlet for Arteta.

However, Arsenal are set to face stiff competition from London rivals Chelsea, who are also preparing a major overhaul. Christian Pulisic, for one, is facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge and was even linked with a January move to Barcelona. Olise, to that end, could prove to be an ideal replacement given his skill and versatility in the final third.

However, Olise isn’t the only Crystal Palace player linked with a move away from Selhurst Park next summer. In addition to the Frenchman, the Eagles are facing a battle to keep hold of Eberechi Eze, another Nigeria eligible with Newcastle United preparing a major assault for the former QPR starlet.

Hence, it could be a busy summer ahead for all parties involved, including Olise, as he looks to take the next step in his career after a fantastic start to life in the Premier League.

CHELSEA TO PALACE

Indeed Olise has come a long way from the young boy that graced the academies of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City. Olise has shown he is back where he belongs.

Indeed, his instant success at Selhurst Park has come as no surprise to Sean Conlon, who first met him when Olise was playing for his local side Hayes in west London at the age of seven. Conlon says of him: “He’s always been someone who scores goals because his control is so good and he is thinking so many steps ahead of everyone else. Michael also has so much variety in his technique that allows him to see the picture and means he is able to make the decision on what is the most appropriate finish.”

Conlon had just left Chelsea as a coach and was working as a scout for QPR but was so impressed that he recommended Olise to his former employers. “Michael was also training with Arsenal at the time because before you move into the under-nines, you’re allowed to train with multiple teams,” he says. “But he probably lived closer to Chelsea and they obviously have a great academy so he ended up signing for them.”

While at Chelsea Olise also received individual training from Conlon’s company ‘We Make Footballers,’ which specialises in developing players between the ages of three and 12, and turned out for his grassroots team.

“I’ve always said that from the age of nine Michael has been the best player for his age in the country,” Conlon says. “He’s always been very graceful and elegant in the way that he moves. But it was when he went into the academy setup at Chelsea that his technique began to shine and all of his ability on the ball started coming through. And then as he has got older his football IQ developed so he answered almost every question that was asked of him.”

Although Olise always appeared destined for success, his departure from Chelsea at 14 – described as “a mutual decision” by Conlon – was a reminder that there are never guarantees in football. Having spent a few weeks travelling to Manchester to train with City, he went six months without a club.

Talking about his game, Olise says he loves to dribble and get into the box. “I’m the creative type. I love to dribble and simply express myself. It is no surprise then that his childhood icons are Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, and Neymar.

“I watch them a lot when I was younger and still do. I want to play like them, kind of free and expressive. I want to be that kind of midfielder scoring goals and assisting too. The Premiership is one of the biggest leagues in the world and I hope I will score more goals and see where it takes me. At this moment I’m learning and enjoying my game.”

He considers his father, Vincent, a great influence on his career. “He (dad) inspires me. My mum too but my dad gave me hints and helps me keep focus. We talk a lot. My parents are the biggest influence on career.

HIS DILEMMA

After Eguavoen’s visit to U.K, Olise may be close to taking final decision on his senior national team future. Since his father is a Nigerian and has been a great influence on his football career, it is wise to say that the Super Eagles will be uppermost on his mind.

Nigerian and Scotland champions Rangers’ defender Leon is back from injury and ready to roll again. The tall defender has been out since December making him to miss the Africa Cup of Nations but he’s back, fit and ready to play again.

Speaking before Thursday’s Europa League return leg affair against German big club Borussia Dortmund at Ibrox, the experienced player said he’s happy to be back in the team during this important match.

Balogun has missed the last few matches through injury, including last week’s first-leg, but when asked about his fitness ahead of the game, he responded: “All I can say is I am available again, I am back fit and I have been craving to get ready for these kind of fixtures – I am here and I am ready.”

The Light Blues headed into the UEFA Europa League knockout play-off second-leg with a 4-2 victory following a strong display last Thursday.

Balogun admitted he had ‘mixed feelings’ about goal machine Erling Haaland missing out the tie but knew Dortmund have strength in their squad.

He added: “I think in these competitions you want to compete against the best and I think he is one of the best at the moment so from that perspective it is a sad thing.

“If you look at what he means to Dortmund it is obviously a disadvantage to them. It is going to weaken them up front a little bit but then again they have got enough to compensate. There are mixed feelings but I am definitely not going to complain about that!”

Balogun is on a year extension to his Rangers contract, and aims to prove himself.

It has been a fantastic first campaign for the central defender, who will go down in history as a member of the side to have delivered 55.

He said after winning the league title under Steven Gerrard, and the contract extension, it is an opportunity to go for more silverware, especially in Europe.

He outlined his determination to be part of a group that delivers even more success going forward.

“I am very, very happy,” he told RangersTV. “There have been a few other players coming out with contract extensions and I was thinking to myself, ‘when is it my turn, when are we going to announce it!?’

“But, I have been working towards that. When I first signed, I had that option – I think everyone knows that by now – and for me, it was just about working towards that and it is fantastic.

“I have been here almost two years now and we won the league in my first year being here which, as we all know, is a massive achievement for the club.

“I am proud and happy to be part of that and from day one pretty much, I have felt loads of love from the group and from the staff, and then when the games came in, from the fans on social media although I haven’t met them yet properly!

“Rangers are a massive club. The trophies and the success in the past speak for itself. I have been told that but I have realised now a little bit that this is one of the clubs that has the biggest support worldwide and it is just incredible to be part of that.

“I am in my 30s now – so advanced footballer age – and to get the opportunity to represent a club like this at this stage of my career is amazing and, as I said before, it is the love you feel, the togetherness and that sense of having a family is just massive and I hope the boys and I can repay that.

“I know last season was a bit difficult with all the restrictions and no fans in. I am a bit overwhelmed to be honest – it is incredible and as I said, it is a massive club and I am super, super happy to be part of that and I am looking forward to bringing more success to the club, to the badge and not alone, with the team, and I think we have everything to go for it.”

“The club has been through a lot and, in all fairness, I have not witnessed that – I have only seen the highs in this season.

“But you don’t want to see any lows again and I want to be part of what we are building right now, where we build on the first success we had this season, and for me personally, I wish I had been part of such an environment before as the way everyone has been pushing everyone every day to go to their limit or to set new limits, it is just amazing and you grow as a person, as a character and you learn every day.

“You improve every day and I want to remain part of that for as long as possible, and the next challenge will be to keep setting new limits to push that bar a bit higher.

“I said then I would love to play another World Cup and play in the Champions League. Now, I am one step closer which is amazing.

“I was never going to leave this club before I had met the fans properly and played in front of a full Ibrox, and things seem to be going in the right direction.

“They are the biggest part of the club with the way they carry the club and the pride they bring into the club and how it connects with the players,” Balogun added.

Having played major part of his career in Argentina, Nigeria international Felix Orode craves to return to Europe and play for the Super Eagles, writes Taiwo Alimi

It was by providence that Nigeria international Felix Orode came to Argentina at only 17. Fate was on his side so he stayed to become one of the exclusive African players to ply their trade in the tough South America soccer terrain.

Young Orode, fresh from hitting the headlines in the Nigerian colours for Flying Eagles (U20 National team), in 2007 was spotted  by scouts for a move to Spain before current manager of Atletico Madrid Diego Simoene convinced him to come to Argentina with him.

This was in in 2009, after helping Nigeria U20 coach Godwin Uwua qualify Nigeria for the World Youth Championship in Canada.

Orode had the opportunity to sigh for FC Porto of Portugal, but it was Simeone, who succeeded in taking to play for his club, San Lorenzo de Almagro, where after playing for the reserve team and scoring more than nine goals and making 20 assists, he debuted in Argentina’s first division in the classic Argentine derby against Huracan which San Lorenzo won 2-0. Orode made one assist in the game.

“For the most part of 10 years, Orode has built his game and moved around to become a household name there scoring important goals and many assists. In between he had short spells in Spain and Peru.

Fast, approachable and with outstanding physical prowess, Orode, 31, persevered the challenges he encountered in the country for great footballers like Maradona and Lionel Messi.

“First of all, when I came to this country I found it difficult due to the weather, the food which is different from that of Nigeria. Gradually, I adapted to them and I feel very much at home. I am married to a beautiful Argentine woman and we are blessed with a son and daughter. Yes! My wife is from Argentina and I’m very happy to in Argentina.

“Life in Argentina is nice and simple. Everyone here is respected whatever your colour. It does not matter where you are from, Nigeria or Asia. They have mutual respect for all. For example, I’m from another country, and they treat me like a brother. I feel good and great to live here. My wife’s family treat me good and I’m proud to be in Argentina. They are wonderful people,” added Orode.    The language barrier was also there but Orode conquered that by the love teammates and fans showered at him on arriving at San Lorenzo.

“Although, I encountered a new language, the relationship with my colleagues was always excellent. At the time Bernardo Romeo and Salvador Reynoso were the ones I talked to the most because they spoke English, but they all showed me love and accepted me.”

His sojourn in South America where few Nigerians and Africans tread has paid off handsomely: he’s tough as a nail, speaks Spanish fluently and is married to a daughter of the soil and blessed with two children: a boy and a girl.

MEMORABLE GOAL

His first game for San Lorenzo senior team, 13 years ago, is still talked about with passion among fans and players.

He said about the game: “I had been on the bench for several games, and then the then assistant manager Nelson Vivas called me I couldn’t believe it. I was really looking forward to it and remembered it like it was yesterday. It is a very pleasant memory because I gave a great pass that led to the second gaol. It’s normal for goals to be remembered, but 13 years later, people remember it and thank me. They show me a lot of affection, it’s incredible.” Orode has moved around Argentina with brief stints in Peru and Spain but he particularly enjoyed his time in Pronunciamiento where he played 39 matches and scored 4 goals between 2017 and 2019.

NEW GOALS 

Meanwhile Orode’s preoccupation is to return to first division play, preferably in Europe and wear the colours of his country once again.

“My goal has always been and will be to return to play in the first division, step by step, little by little, but enjoying the journey and, God willing, to wear the colours of my country again.”

“My country is my country, but in Argentina football is experienced in a special way. It is a big passion and I love it.”

BACK ON THE BEAT

Last month, precisely on 3rd January, Orode scored four goals in the final of the Bolivar City Cup for Bolivar FC of Argentina. He celebrated the feat with a special message on his personal Instagram page on December 9 2021.

“Thank God for allowing me to score after so long, thanks to Bolivar FC for the opportunity to take my life back…decisions must be made but always with conviction and head held high, thank God for my 4 goals, and my family by always with me, thank you @yasorode [Orode’s wife] for supporting me in all. Congratulations to my teammates for the efforts and for giving everything in every play. Thank you God always,” the midfielder stated in his Instagram post afterwards.

Orode is looking towards Super Eagles manager Aus tin Eguavoen to give him a try out for a chance to return to the national team on Nigeria.

According to his friend and promoter Juan Saravi, a native and soccer manager who took particular interest in the Nigerian because of his tremendous skill, “In Latin America, there is no tradition of African players and the Nigerian Federation does not look at African players who play in Latin America. Surely in June, Felix will move to Europe. He would like to reunite with his former coach Diego Simeone or play in Leeds for Marcelo Bielsa. Well, with his perfect Spanish and his great River Plate technique, he could be an important addition for Bielsa, since he really likes his game and the way his teams play. At some point, when he played in Portugal, Porto looked for him. But he prefers Spain or England, because of the closeness with the Argentine tacticians.”

Saravi continued: “Most of the Nigerian players play in Europe and the experience that Orode has: the Argentine and South American style. the maturity of his game, his offensive play, his goals and his assists, will be vital for the operation of the Super Eagles since it will give them a new style.

“If Orode gets a chance to help push Nigeria’s Qatar 2022 dream, he would have arrived at the height of a career that began in his native Kaduna in 2002 at the age of 11.”

ORODE’S PROFILE

At the age of 14, Orode scored a goal in Nigeria’s First Division on April 24, 2004, playing for the Mighty Jets against Plateau United. After going through the Mighty Jet in Nigeria, he was discovered by FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman, who took him to Lleida from Spain in 2009, where he was selected to train with the squad. That same year, he went to San Lorenzo, from the First Division of Argentina, which bought 40% of his pass. On November 21, he debuted with the first team, replacing Diego Rivero, against Huracán, at Parque Patricios, a match in which he gave Juan Manuel Torres a great assist in his team’s second goal. He participated in the reserve tournament being a scorer of the same.

After the announcement of Coach Diego Simeone that was not going to be taken into account for the next tournament of the year 2010, the Nigerian player was given a loan to Nueva Chicago, of the Metropolitan B, where he played several matches reaching good performances.

In June 2010, he signed for the Comodoro Rivadavia CAI playing in the National B tournament. At the beginning of 2012 he was transferred to Excursionistas, where he played in many matches in the Primera C tournament and even in the Copa Argentina. In the second semester of 2012, he was signed by Luján. In mid-2013 he arrived at Comunicaciones, where he was directed by Jorge Vivaldo. In 2014 he had a brief stint in the Walter Ormeño Sports Club of the second division of Peru and that same year he returned to Excursionistas. He found it in 2016 playing in Sportivo Barracas de la Primera C, of Argentine soccer.

In 2017 he signed for Depro, from the province of Entre Ríos, with which he disputes the Federal Tournament A third division of Argentine soccer.

After the Africa Nations Cup (AFCON) coronation in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the coach of the Senegal national team, Aliou Cissé took time to talk about his influential player Sadio Mane.               ‘El tactico’ as he’s fondly called maintained that it does not date from today and many things bind them. “There were times when we had problems,” said the coach without specifying when exactly. “We have a father-son relationship there are often misunderstandings. But Sadio is a competitor. That he dedicates this trophy to me is a beautiful thing, because he has never disappointed me. He does everything I tell him.”

He notably mentioned the session of the penalty series and his relationship with Sadio Mané.

When asked how he experienced Mané’s missed penalty in the 7th minute of play, Cissé answered. “I didn’t even look. They told me he missed and we moved on. We can’t come into competition thinking that we have to settle a match in 20 minutes, a match lasts 90 minutes”.

The nicknamed El Tactico added: “We let the players know that they had to adopt a different attitude because they are in the national team, each lost match is synonymous with controversy. For the penalty shootouts, it is true that the players choose the shooters, but I have a list of 10 to 12 players that I would force to shoot no matter what.”

For Cissé, the penalty is a technical gesture and you have to be concentrated to do it well. “I had in mind the memories of 2002 when I missed this penalty. It was a debt that I had to repay to the Senegalese people. I would like to bring the cup back to Senegal as a player, but it was done as a coach.”

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will face each other in the African World Cup playoffs, after Egypt and Senegal were drawn together.

Read Also: Mane leads Senegal to historic AFCON title

Meanwhile, Algeria and Ghana, smarting after humiliating early exits at the Africa Cup of Nations, were handed tough draws with Cameroon and Nigeria respectively.

Egypt and Senegal, who are still competing at the Cup of Nations in Cameroon, were two of the five countries that represented the continent at the last finals in Russia.

Algeria and Ghana went home having finished last in their AFCON groups after shock setbacks against Equatorial Guinea and Comoros Islands respectively.

Morocco were drawn against Democratic Republic of Congo, who did not qualify for the Nations Cup in Cameroon.

Mali have a chance to qualify for the first time after being paired with Tunisia, but face staging their home game on neutral territory; they did not have any fit stadia in the previous qualifying round and played home games in Morocco.

The 10 countries in the draw were all winners of their groups in the second round of African World Cup qualifiers played between September and November.

They now meet over two legs in March to determine which five teams will reach the finals. The exact dates of the matches will be announced in the next days, said the Confederation of African Football.

Oladayo Anthony Ushurhe was a former coach of Lagos-based youth side, Messiah FC before leaving for the United States to study Sports Coaching, Fitness and Health at the America Sports University, San Bernardino, California.  A former player, himself, he was motivated to take up coaching by Coach Dosu David aka Apelete. “He’s one of the best coaches around and he’s like a father to me,” he said.  Coach David handed Messiah FC to Ushurhe to coach and it was here he hit the limelight in Lagos state, winning in four years notable Lagos state organize league and tournaments.

Subsequently, American Sports University offered him a scholarship, where he obtained the U.S Coaching license.

“Coaching here in the USA is great because you have free hands to pick and chose the right players based on their training performances and there is no pressure from anyone saying you have to play their players. They give you everything to motivate you to coach.”

Ushurhe has coached three clubs so far; Avalanche FC Div 3, Arsenal FC DIV 1, and presently in charge of Colton High FC, California. 

He reviews the just ended Africa Nations Cup, AFCON while giving his opinion on indigenous versus foreign coaches for Nigeria, in this interview with Samson Oti.

 

As a coach, how will you review the performance of Nigeria team at the just concluded AFCON in Cameroon? Do you think Nigeria needs a foreign coach?

As a matter of candid fact, Nigeria doesn’t need a foreign coach to win even the World Cup. Senegal won the AFCON with an indigenous coach. He was given a free hand to work for many years before he won their first major trophy. It about time the indigenous coaches have a free hand to work by getting the right coaching education, get players that are hungry to play and put in their best not players that are out there to show off and don’t care if they lose. You can agree with me that the Senegalese players were humble and hungry to win so they put in their best and it yielded victory for them.

A lot of people believe that African coaches are limited tactically, do you agree with that?

This is where the right coaching education comes in. With my education and license courses in coaching in the United States, I’ve came to know more and how to deal with players. There are different classes of coaching. Sometimes, a team losing is not based on the abilities of the coaches, it could be selection problems, and this can happen when a coach is under immense pressure to feature certain players.  Of course, I agree that our coaches must have the right education, ability to manage players and the zeal to ensure stability in your team matter a lot, but I will not agree that African coaches are limited tactically because we have seen lots of Africa coaches winning everywhere, so that means they attain the right coaching education.

Let’s review the AFCON, which country impressed you most and why?

Senegal played the competition with sense of humility and determination. They were dedicated, humble and hungry to win. Again Sadio Mane gave them a lot of motivation by playing his heart out as the leader and everyone followed his footstep. Mane was not there to show off because he is playing for Liverpool but brought himself so low and set a good example of commitment to them and that’s what gave them the victory from the beginning to end. In Nigeria, our players should see good example in Sadio Mane, Super Eagles are as good as Senegal but the Senegalese were wanted the trophy more.

Read Also: NFF names Amuneke new Super Eagles coach

In Cameroon, Super Eagles are rated as one of the favourites especially when they won all three games. Does that mean the team lacks some technicality?

No, they do not lack any technicality because they are foreign based players. All they lack is commitment and they need to drop their pride. When I say pride I mean they need to drop that mentality that I’m playing in Europe and see themselves as home based looking for contracts.

That’s exactly what Senegalese did. If you bring a foreign coach to that match, he wouldn’t have done anything better if the zeal of the players were limited. Our players have mentality that is above their standards. Super Eagles have some of the best players and what it takes to win this AFCON.

Ghana performed woefully, but they are facing Nigeria in World Cup qualifier. Should Nigerians be expecting a tough match?

Nigeria should expect a tougher game. Ghana will go back home and be better prepared because AFCON made them realize that they were just 50 per cent ready and they taught they were 100 per cent ready. They are back home now to work towards that 100 percent.  Nigeria should expect a tough game.

I think the coaches should begin their work immediately to ensure that Nigeria feature at the World Cup because Ghana can stop Nigeria if our boys are not committed. They should drop their pride of playing in Europe.

As a Nigerian, do you see yourself coaching one of the Nigeria national teams?

By the grace of God, I believe and I am working hard to ensure that opportunity will come one day. I left the shores of the country to attain greener pastures through coaching education, and to God be the glory I am fulfilling a dream here in United States of America.

I have coached three teams here and we are doing wonderfully well. Anytime I am given the opportunity because I have what it takes to do it. It’s my joy to come back home and give what I have learnt here to help my country.